1st – Canada Day – trace a copy of a maple leaf onto a piece of craft foam and make your own Canada Day themed foam stamps.
1st – Anniversary of the Issue of the First US Postage Stamp - postage stamps make interesting additions to handmade greeting cards. Why not collect used stamps and incorporate these into your designs. Used postage stamps can also be used to create interesting collage designs.
1st - Anniversary the First Zip Codes – clearly displaying zip or postal codes is essential when sending items through the postal system. Rubber stamps can be used to decorate your handmade envelopes. This makes a lovely finish to a handmade card (although always remember to leave enough space for the address!).
2nd – Anniversary of the First Round the World Balloon Flight – use this free Air Balloon Paper Piecing pattern and create an unusual embellishment for a rubber stamping project.
3rd – Stay Out of the Sun Day – make a sun visor from craft foam. You can give the craft foam a textured surface using rubber stamps and a heat gun. See How to Emboss Craft Foam for more information.
4th - Independence Day – these stencils would adapt well to many projects. Use them as a template to make your own stamps or cut them out of paper and add to a Independence Day themed project - Independence Day Easy-to-Cut Free Stencils. This free printable miniature bunting is ideal for adding to cards or scrap book projects. See Independence Day Crafts for more craft ideas.
5th – Sports Cliché Week – add your favorite sports cliché to a handmade card for an unusual sentiment or greeting. Here are 10 of the worst sports cliches.
6th – John Lennon Meets Paul McCartney at a Church fête in 1957 - use titles of Beatles songs for inspiration. There are many titles to Beatles songs that would make great themes for stamping and scrapbooking projects. With titles including Love Me Do, Help!, With a Little Help From My Friends and When I'm Sixty-Four there are plenty of options. See our About.com Classic Rock Beatles articles for more information including lists of songs.
7th - Sliced Bread is Sold for the First Time - by the Chillicothe Baking Company of Chillicothe, Missouri. Perfect for making sandwiches! Mark the day by making your own pots of sandwich spread. Decorate pot labels with rubber stamps!
8th – National Video Game Day – use video game characters as themes for stamping projects. Classic video games such as Pac-Man could easily be carved from erasers to make your own unique stamps.
9th – Henry VIII of England Annuls Marriage to Anne of Cleves – characters from history make interesting themes for rubber stamping projects. The Tudor royal family, for instance, were known for their extravagant clothes. Build some Tudor flare into a rubber stamping project by adding lace, imitation pearls, stick on jewels or other luxurious embellishments.
10th - Don't Step on a Bee Day - this is a day to raise awareness of the hidden dangers underfoot. Use bee rubber stamps and shrink plastic or air dry clay to make fridge magnets or other home accessories to act as reminders.
11th - Bowdler's Day - Doctor Thomas Bowdler, 'cleansed' the works of Shakespeare by altering his family's books, taking out the words that he believed to be indecent. Could this have been the first recorded altered arts work? Take a look at some of these altered arts projects for more ideas.
12th - Anniversary of the Birth of Milton Berle - the popular entertainer was famous for his jokes. These and quotations from the entertainer make interesting additions to rubber stamping projects. See Milton Berle quotes for more information.
13th - Embrace Your Geekness Day - if you are a rubber stamping and crafting geek then today is a day to celebrate! Geeks know a little bit more than is necessary about a subject, so set aside some time to learn some new techniques or try new things.
14th - Bastille Day - a public holiday in France to celebrate the fall of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution. If you have some red, white and blue paper left over from your Independence Day crafting, why not put it to good use with some French themed projects.
15th - Saint Swithun's Day - according to the popular British weather proverb, if it rains on Saint Swithun's day it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Build the proverb into a stamping project:
- St Swithun's day if thou dost rain
- For forty days it will remain
- St Swithun's day if thou be fair
- For forty days 'twill rain na mair
17th - Anniversary of the Grand Opening of Disneyland - celebrate by adding some Disney-style magic to your stamping projects. Fairy tales and cartoons make fun cards and can make great greeting cards for children of all ages.
18th - Birthday of Nelson Mandela - many meaningful quotations are attributed to Nelson Mandela. These make a thought provoking alternative to traditional greeting card sentiments.
19th - National Ice Cream Day (2009) - celebrated the third Sunday in July. Mark the occasion by making some ice cream. This is a great ice cream recipe that is ideal for children. Let your youngsters make some ice cream while you get on with some rubber stamping projects. You can join them to eat the ice cream afterwards - a win/win situation!
See more July stamping ideas on the next page. If you have any ideas to add for this or coming months send me an email.
Note: This list has been compiled from a number of websites and not from any official sources, therefore no guarantee can be given as to the accuracy or authenticity of some of these dates - particularly some of the more unusual celebrations.
